Sea Mauville was large.

Spoiler alert.

A dozen stories, levels, and docks covered the preserve like a latticework and honeycomb. It was remarkably easy to get lost, turned around, and completely confused. Many of the rangers had provided detailed maps and pamphlets of Sea Mauville's layout, but it didn't help when a large portion of the area was collapsed.

That was how Rex ended up sharing a vent's crawlspace with one of Hoenn's Elite Four.

The hardest part of their mission wasn't breaking into an old manager's office to steal a ton of files, it was actually resisting the urge to challenge one of the strongest trainers in the world to a Pokémon battle with a Togepi.

"You're gonna knock down the third vent cover on the left and drop down, I think." Rex frowned at his map as they shuffled forward. "Not this one, nor that one... Say, random question."

He was silent for a moment.

"Any chance I can fight that big dog I keep hearing about?"

---

Navy
21. Use technology to assist in the operation.

Rex didn't have a Water-type to rely on. He had a Togepi that had waggled its finger and destroyed an entire floor of Sea Mauville with a Metronome-induced Explosion. Silverio didn't need to know that, though. Rex would repent and spend a few months in jail once this was over, but for now, the people here needed their help.

"You are? Nice, man. I hope the sandwiches are Paldean." Rex prepared to slip the breathing apparatus over his face as they prepared to dive into the deep. Silverio's froggy friend had gone and done a quick recon of the water below, and had reported nothing of note. "Alright, lets get going."

The apparatus slipped over Rex's head and he gave a thumbs up, before slipping into the grate below.

As the young trainer's eyes adjusted, he peered into the depths. He saw the safe, but there were an unfortunate number of Binacles surrounding it. Ugly little shits, those.

He gestured at Silverio and his froggy friend and pointed down.

---

silverio delfino
21. Use technology to assist in the operation.

Blobbert was a hero to Water-types everywhere. The Magikarps would hail his name from the depths of Route 120 to the shores of Shoal Cave. He would be a god and savior to the Horsea and the Krabby as well. As the Muk grinned, all Rex could do was offer a thumbs-up.

"Huh? Oh." Rex turned to regard the Togepi curled up in Hideo's arms, waggling his fingers with eldritch glee. "Yeah, that's mine. He's just a little guy, you can hold him if you want. He likes you. Makes sense, you probably saved his life."

With that, Rex turned back to the ocean to regard the spill. It really was dangerous, like a dark miasma that crept across the sea like a tumor. A small microcosm of Hoenn.

The finger wagging continued.

'toge toge...'

"Y'know, after the battle there."

---

Hideo Kino
03. Address environmental hazards.

He stood beside the Littleroot Gym Leader, an odd expression plastered on his face as the two looked out towards the oil slick leaking from Sea Mauville's hull like a bloody gash. The oil refused to mix with the water, creating a distinct black sludge that had buried Magikarps, Mantykes, and other Water-types in toxic runoff.

Well, Rex was 'seeing'. Hideo less so. Still, Rex shifted from foot to foot, awkward.

"The other teams have relocated a lot of the wildlife, Hideo. It's just us and the other cleanup crews now. I don't even know where we start with this, or like..." Rex shrugged awkwardly, unsure of how to approach an environmental disaster. "...anything."

'Toge toge...' A Togepi nudged Hideo's shoe, demanding uppies.

Man, it felt weird being with his hometown's Gym Leader. It was like running into the mayor while doing community service.

---

Hideo Kino
15. Coordinate with other teams or local authorities.

The expression that Rex had as he opened his mouth was one that Roze would remember until the end of her days. It was spoken with such conviction that it would resonate with the facets of her soul until the end of time.

"Because he's the strongest." Rex said with a smile as Munchlax kicked another piece of rubble out of the way with minimal effort as he rushed towards the pipe. This was the power of a Pokémon that had turned its metabolism into a weapon of mass destruction. "He would never lose."

Munchlax leapt forward like a missile, launching itself towards the gaping wound expelling noxious gas into Sea Mauville. The pipe was plugged by Munchlax's rotund body.

Slowly, the poison began to dissipate like magic.

"Yeah..." Rex beamed at Roze with an insanely smug aura of pride. "I'm the best trainer in the world."

---

Roze Falkner
42. Use a pokemon to clear the air of smoke or other noxious gases.

'Toge!' The Togepi nods in agreement, its ribbon curled around its spiky body as Eris scoops up her new stalwart ally. She's not incorrect, for Togepi's power is great and incomprehensible.

Which is he begins to waggle his fingers to cause a Metronome.

A dangerous move, given Metronome's unreliability. It could do anything. The room could flood, Sea Mauville could sink, the Togepi could explode, or the room could fill with Woopers. The possibilities were quite literally endless.

So when the finger finishes wagging, an Ally Switch occurs.

Three very rotund Sealeo appear in the middle of the room, confused. A dozen Woopers follow, spilling on top of the incredibly round seal as they butt heads with one another. Rex, meanwhile, is nowhere to be found, having been switched with the countless Woopers and Sealeo.

Victory...?

---

Eris Halla
06. Use non-lethal methods to calm or capture rogue pokemon.

When faced with a big wave, you had to go and surf on it. That was the law of surfing. No matter how dangerous, no matter how risky, you had to surf on the big wave.

So when Rex bore witness to a big wave, there was only one thing to do: surf it until it crashed into the sand and disappeared into the ether. This was the type of wave that they spoke of in legend. A wave so impeccable that everyone described in their own cool surf stories, but nobody ever actually saw.

It was here.

Rex had to surf on it. He ran forward.

---

8/2
MAGIKARP SPLASH
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They lock eyes for a moment as Togepi continues its little chant. It's the first time Rex has seen the ranger on the back foot. She had dealt with signs fairly easily, but this terrified her.

"I can't. Togepi's just a little fella, doesn't know how to use his power yet. He needs practice, and he practices by doing." Rex shrugged, as if a loose cannon in a confined space wasn't a particularly bad idea. He regarded Togepi with a mixture of wariness and pride. "Should be fine, he only exploded once. Or was it twice...?"

'toge toge...' The waggling grew more intense as a bright light appeared on Togepi's finger.

"Or was it one...? He definitely blew my hotel room up back in Fortree..."

'toge toge...'

"Oh, but I did get kicked out of that overnight bus because he replaced every microwave with a detonating Voltorb, so I guess that counts...?"

'toge toge...'

"So yeah, probably two. Depends on how you count it. Anyway, don't worry! Out of the six times he's used Metronome, he only definitely exploded once."

'pi!' Togepi's Metronome activated, drowning the room in a bright light, harsh and glorious. The first sound to assault Annalise's ears were something definitely not explosive.

Ding! Two trays of macrons appeared, alongside a plate of illustrious china and two steaming cups of tea.

Togepi used Teatime!

---

annalise henderson

It's a very well-groomed Togepi. It's almost absurd how impeccable of a specimen this one is. Its shell shines brightly against the dull, crackling lights of Sea Mauville's dying generators. Its soft body is luscious and well-maintained. This Togepi is within the top percentage of Togepi.

Hell, it even has a small ribbon attached to its spiky head.

"I'm helping..." Rex sounded on the verge of tears as he pilfered another hard drive. "I'm going to hell when I die..."

Yet when compared to this Togepi, Rex's struggles seem like a distant memory.

'Toge...' The Togepi looks at Annalise with bright eyes, before waggling its fingers. 'pi!'

A Metronome builds...

"Hm?" Rex looked up from his computer of crimes to peer at Annalise and Togepi. "Uh oh."

---

annalise henderson

"Guh..." The inflection of his voice makes it clear that she's won, but it's the equivalent of arguing morals with a toddler. There's no work involved. No great debate. "Guhhhhh..."

If Rex was a machine, smoke would be pouring from every orifice as his brain started to spark and smolder. The ethical contradiction is too much for Rex to comprehend. The man was a boy scout to the core, the perfect ranger. Unfortunately he was neither a boy scout nor a ranger. He was just some guy from Littleroot.

Until he conquered the Pokemon League and became a champion, at least.

"But..." That was a long way, though. Rex sulked to pilfer through the computers. One warned against removing hard drives without proper guidance. "Ugh... I don't wanna go to jail."

Meanwhile, Annalise would feel something nudging her foot.

'toge toge?'

A Togepi looked up at her.

---

annalise henderson
45. Retrieve important hard drives from Sea Mauville computers.

He does not follow. Eris Halla is alone. Probably for the best, given Rex's boy scout behavior. Knowing him, if she was drowning, he wouldn't save her due to not being able to run around the pool. It was for the best that he was out of her hair.

However, something follows behind her. The door flutters slightly as something waddles on remarkably tiny lines, its egg shell rattling slightly as it continues its incessant march after the small lady. Its little feet make a pitter patter on the ground as it nudges Eris's foot.

'Toge toge?'

A Togepi looks up at her with curious eyes. It waves its arms up at her, demanding uppies.

---

Eris Halla
04. Direct a pokemon to scout ahead for reconnaissance.

"See, one time Munchlax ate this really disgusting macron made from molten plastic, Weedle poison, and moldy apples." Rex began as Munchlax waddled forward, seemingly immune to the toxic fumes. The snack the younger man described seemed revolting, but he continued on, as if this was somehow going to impress the woman standing next to him. "Really nasty stuff."

While Roze worked to rejuvenate their collapsed captain, Rex continued to blab as Munchlax encroached upon the pipe that was causing the gas leak.

"I thought he was gonna die, but the nice lady at the Pokemon Center said he'd be fine. Munchlax are just built different, I guess." Rex shrugged again. "I figured if he can eat that, what danger can a gas leak do to him?"

The logic was utterly insane and devoid of reason. Munchlax continued to march forward, kicking large swaths of rubble away with great strength hidden within the little monster's small frame.

He didn't elaborate on the 'great plan'.

---

Roze Falkner
32. Clear debris or other obstacles to create safe pathways.

"Yeah, that sign." He stared at her, hand on his hip. With the way she regarded the sign, she may as well have been defiling a corpse by searching for its wallet. When Annalise removed her hand, the younger trainer took a deep sigh of relief, content that the rules were being followed. "Thank goodne-"

The door is slashed apart before the words can leave his mouth. By the time he finishes them, the door is nothing but cut scraps.

-ss" Rex gagged as Annalise walked through the now defiled door. "You're gonna get us in trouble! It was there for a reason!"

As he attempts to reprimand her for her great crime, the reserve continues to shift as the Tera Crystals below feast on the hull. Rex looked around, panicked, before turning back to Annalise.

"Trespassing is wrong!"

---

annalise henderson
14. Ensure the area is safe from remaining threats.